Not just another 'chick flick'

By Yu Sen-lun
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Mar 12, 2004, Page 20

Silvia Chang's (張艾嘉) film world has always focused on independent women, love stories and romance comedies. In a way, she's Taiwan's answer to Penny Marshall (director of A League of Their Own) or Amy Heckerling (director of Clueless, Loser). Luckily, Chang is not in Hollywood and cannot be too easily stereotyped.

One the rare women filmmakers in Chinese-language films, Chang has managed to make a movie every two to three years since 1986. Apart from her directing work, she runs her own artist-management business, while once in a while still acting in a few Hong Kong movies and also releasing records as a singer. And every now and then, her so-called "chick movies" will come out as impressive surprises, such as this 2004 Berlin Film Festival entry, 20, 30, 40.

In keeping with the trend of romantic comedies trying to mirror Sex and the City or Bridget Jones' Diary, which honestly reveal the awkwardness, defeat and cruelty women face in the games of love, 20, 30, 40 movie offers a Chinese version on these by-now familiar themes.

Lee Sin-jie, left, and Rene Liu are Taipei women feeling their way through life in 20, 30, 40. PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA ASIA

20, 30, 40 meets its expectations, being an honest, cute, semi-feminist movie about women in Taipei.

The 30-something woman Hsiang-hsiang (Rene Liu (劉若英)) is a flight attendant torn between two men -- one a musician in New York, who is not mature enough to settle down, the other a mature doctor, but married. Hsiang-hsiang is always reminded of her mom's reasons for forcing her to learn piano. "One day your man will leave you, so at least you can teach piano."

Flim Notes: 20, 30, 40 Directed by: Silvia Chang (張艾嘉) Starring: Silvia Chang, Rene Liu (劉若英), Lee Sin-jie (李心潔), Anthony Wong (黃秋生), Tony Leung Kar-fai (梁家輝), Richie Jen (任賢齊) Running time: 113 minutes Taiwan Release: Today Language: in Mandarin with both Chinese and English subtitles

The 40-something Lily (Silvia Chang) takes a flight tended by Hsiang-hsiang back to Taipei, with her husband and 17-year-old daughter. A happy wife and mother who owns a flower shop, Lily finds out about her husband's mistress and decides on an immediate divorce. On the same flight is Jie (Lee Sin-jie, (李心潔)), a 20-something Malaysian girl coming to Taiwan to become a singer. She is teamed up with a Hong Kong girl by a sloppy, down-on-her-luck producer-songwriter and she is unsure about her future.

The most honest and moving story between the three women is the 40-something Lily, portrayed by director Chang herself. Trying to prove that she's still attractive, she spends wild nights at Taipei's Carnegie's and dates a young man whose two obsessions are sex and sports, the former of which wears out her middle-aged bones.

As a director, Chang this time has a more open, easy and mature eye when looking at a woman's life, than her 1999 film Tempting Heart (心動), which was an equally touching, though slightly forced, story about a nostalgic romance. Lily's story generates the most laughs as well as tears.

Also impressive is Jie's story, performed and written by Lee Sin-jie, wth obvious autobiographical elements. An ambiguous feeling grows between Jie and Tung, the Hong Kong girl, who tries to seduce her. Jie is not sure if she's jealous when she sees Tung suddenly find a boyfriend. Also uncertain is her bumpy singer dream, because no one wants to make a record for the duo.

Rene Liu makes full use of her solid acting skills, but her story is a bit thinner than those of the other two women.

And for men in this movie, no doubt they are minor characters, but Silvia Chang scored a casting coup, getting both Tony Leung Kar-fai (梁家輝) and Anthony Wong (黃秋生) for two secondary roles.

20, 30, 40 may not be Silvia Chang's best movie so far, but it is by far the most honest and sincere work about women's loves and lives in Taipei.